The Twenty-fifth was organized at Kalamazoo and mustered into service Sept. 22, 1862, with an enrollment of 896 officers and men.

Captain Orlando H. Moore of the Regular Army, who had served as Lieutenant Colonel with the Thirteenth Michigan Infantry, was commissioned Colonel and drilled and disciplined the Twenty-fifth for service in the field.

The regiment left Kalamazoo Sept. 29, 1862, for Louisville, Ky., and after its arrival became actively engaged in several expeditions in driving the enemy from the state.

In January, 1863, the Twenty-fifth was employed on provost duty at Bowling Green, Ky., and in April following was performing same duty at Louisville, Ky., as the experience and military education of Colonel Moore made him especially competent to discharge such delicate duties, where firmness had to be tempered with kindness in controling the citizens, who were largely confederate sympathizers, and holding in check with a strong hand the lawless and turbulent element.

The Twenty-fifth was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Corps, and continued in the same organization during its term of service.

Colonel Moore, with five companies of his regiment, numbering about 200 men, was ordered June 10th to Green River Bridge, near Columbia, as news had been received that the confederate General John Morgan was about to cross the Cumberland River and march on Louisville. Colonel Moore selected his own ground to meet the enemy, supposed to be 3,000 strong, and disposed his small force to combat ten times his number at Tebbs Bend, and fearlessly awaited the approach of the confederates, knowing that no other Union troops were within 30 miles of his camp. The Colonel selected a strong position with the practical eye of a soldier, the flanks of his camp being protected by the river so the enemy was compelled to meet him in front, and strengthened it by throwing up a line of earth works and felling trees to protect his men against the charge of the enemy's cavalry.

On the morning of July 4, 1863, the forces of General Morgan opened with musketry and artillery upon the little band of Union troops and after Colonel Moore's skirmishers had been driven in a flag of truce approached with a demand from General Morgan for an immediate and unconditional surrender. Colonel Moore met the flag of truce and sent back the following message: "Present my compliments to General Morgan and say to him that, this being the Fourth of July, I cannot entertain the proposition of surrender."

The confederates immediately charged the camp and a desperate conflict raged for four hours, the overwhelming numbers of the enemy surging up so close to the Union lines that they were driven back repeatedly in a hand to hand encounter. General Morgan, seeing the hopelessness of continuing the conflict longer, withdrew his forces after he had met with a loss of as many killed and wounded as Colonel Moore had in his command. Twenty-two of the confederate commissioned officers were killed or wounded, among the killed being Colonel Chenault and Major Brent, while Colonel Moore lost 6 killed and 23 wounded.

Major General Hartsuff, in a general order, complimented Colonel Moore and the officers and men of his command, saying "the entire arrangement of his defense entitles him to the highest credit for military skill."

The obstinate defense made by Colonel Moore and his men delayed General Morgan twelve hours, which completely frustrated his plan of march and undoubtedly saved the city of Louisville from being looted by Morgan's men and the destruction of vast stores for the Union army.

All the companies of the Twenty-fifth were assembled at Lebanon, Ky., and started August 19th for a long and toilsome march for East Tennessee.

Colonel Moore being in command of the Second Brigade, the Twenty-fifth, in command of Captain Demarest, proceeded from Loudon to Kingston and occupied many towns in East Tennessee during the following months, coming in contact with the enemy frequently and enduring all the hardships of a winter campaign without rations, tents, blankets, clothing and shoes, though the weather was bitter cold. There was no campaign of the war when so many hardships were endured for want of supplies of every nature to make a soldier comfortable in the field as the campaign of East Tennessee.

On the 25th of April, 1864, the regiment, in command of Colonel B. O. Orcutt, started upon the Atlanta campaign and participated in the marches, battles and skirmishes of General Sherman's army. It came in contact with the enemy at Tunnell Hill, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Cassville, Kingston, Allatoona, Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain and Kenesaw, and crossed the Chattahoochee July 9th and took an active part in the siege of Atlanta. The Twenty-fifth was in the flanking movement which resulted in the battle of Jonesboro and the fall of Atlanta.

When General Hood commenced his march north, after he had evacuated Atlanta, the Twenty-fifth, with its corps, started in pursuit and met Hood's forces at Rome, Ga., and Cedar Bluff, Ala., and at Franklin, Tenn. It joined the army at Nashville under General Thomas, and on the 15th and 16th, 1864, participated in that battle and helped to drive the confederates from their strong positions and followed them in their retreat as far as Columbia.

After the signal defeat of General Hood, the Twenty-third Corps marched 250 miles to Clifton, on the Tenenssee River, where it was transported to Cincinnati, Ohio, and then by rail to Washington, D. C. The corps had been transported east to join with General Sherman's army, then on its march north through the Carolinas. The Twenty-fifth was embarked upon transports for North Carolina and, marching inland from the coast, joined General Sherman at Goldsboro, N. C.

When General Johnson surrendered the confederate army to General Sherman the Twenty-fifth was sent to Salisbury, N. C., where it was mustered out June 24, 1865, and in command of Colonel Moore started for Michigan and arrived at Jackson July 2d, where it was paid off and disbanded.

Total enrollment...........................................1008Killed in action.............................................23Died of wounds...............................................17Died in confederate prisons...................................2Died of disease.............................................126Discharged for disability (wounds and disease)..............157